


A Test of Camaraderie

by old_starlit



Series: The Prodigies of King's College [1]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Mindless Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-25
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-07-18 05:24:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7301212
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/old_starlit/pseuds/old_starlit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You have a crush and didn’t tell me?” Alex said. After hesitating for a moment, he slung an arm around John. “So who is it?”  </p><p>John, to his relief, glanced up and laughed. “No one.”</p><p>“Ah, you can tell me!” Alex said, grinning, pushing down unwanted feelings that were bubbling up and threatening to spill over. “I’m your best friend, after all.”</p><p>John flinched slightly at the word, before relaxing and throwing on a smile. “Fine. Try and guess who it is.”</p><p>“Fair enough,” Alex said with a smile. “Give me a hint.”<br/>_<br/>AKA John has a crush, Alex is oblivious, and Lafayette knows everything</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Test of Camaraderie

Alex didn’t know exactly when it happened, but all of a sudden, _bam_ , he was in love with his roommate. This wouldn’t have been so bad, if the universe didn’t decide to make them best friends.

They had met on their first day of college by effectively destroying Charles Lee in a fight (and they may or may not have resorted to using their fists) and that, while watching him laugh as they recounted the fight, was when Alex decided that he was falling fast.

It was John Laurens and his damn freckles and his too many curls and his bright eyes and his infectious smile that Alex began to fall for. They were immediate friends, joined at the hip, with the exact same interests (although Alex didn’t care for turtles, and John had no interest discussing national debt) and the exact same beliefs. 

Alex provided an easy distraction for John from the stress at home in South Carolina, a steady hand after phone calls with his father. John provided comfort to Alex after flashbacks to events that happened way back in the Caribbean, a soothing voice when he was in over his head with work. Alex took care of John, and John took care of Alex, and soon Alex didn’t even know what life was like without John.

 _Codependency_ , Lafayette would tell them often. _You two would die without the other_. 

_Probably because Alex would forget to eat if not for me reminding him_ , John would reply and Alex would shoot back, that _no, John would get into too many fisfights and end up being killed without me to take care of him_.

Lafayette would laugh, but everyone knew that he was right.

They were roomed together, which was, most of the time, wonderful, but also complete torture, as Alex had to constantly force down his feelings.

So now he was stuck lounging on his bed with John propped up against him (seriously, did they have to be such affectionate friends?) and pretending he wasn’t about to spontaneously combust any second.

John was doodling in his sketchbook, glancing at Alex ever so often to draw him, and Alex was writing an essay for Washington’s class that was due next week. He already found himself way past the page limit.

“Hey, John, what do you think of my essay?” Alex nudged his laptop towards John, who set down his sketchbook to pick it up and began to read.

“Holy shit, Alex, this is good,” John said, skimming through the essay. 

“Really?” Alex said nervously. “It’s getting kind of long, and I don’t know if I’m not clear enough or if I’m just repeating myself—”

“Alex.” John put his hand on Alex’s shoulder and Alex stopped talking to look at him. “It’s really good. Your argument is really well stated and you bring up excellent points.”

Alex opened his mouth, not sure what to say to that, but he was saved by John’s phone, which buzzed. John reached over to grab it and read the text, before standing up. “Laf and Herc wants to meet us for coffee. Want to go?” He bounced slightly on his heels, curls escaping his messy ponytail.

“Sure,” Alex said, hopping up as well. “But I’m not paying. I’m broke.”

“Lafayette’s paying,” John said, grabbing his jacket and heading out the door. “He’s rich, anyway.”

“True,” Alex agreed, following John. The two headed out into the cold streets of New York City, walking to the coffeeshop where Lafayette and Hercules were in comfortable silence.

The moment they entered, bringing with them a gust of cold air, Lafayette yelled (a bit too loudly), “ _Mes amis_! Over here!”

Alex waved back and the two, ignoring all the side looks the other customers were giving them, slid into the seats at the Lafayette and Hercules table. Alex smiled at the sight of the fresh cup of coffee and practically inhaled it.

“You’re going to kill yourself someday,” John commented.

“It’s called _recaffeinating_.” 

“That’s not even a word,” John pointed out.

“It is now,” Alex replied, kicking him from under the table.

Lafayette was watching them with a slightly amused expression, then said, “Are you two done with flirting now?”

Alex ducked his head, trying to ignore the blush that was definitely rising in his cheeks. “It’s not _flirting_. It’s _banter_.” 

“Isn’t banter supposed to be smart?” Hercules muttered.

“Rude,” John replied, taking a sip of his coffee.

“But true,” Lafayette added, with a wicked gleam in his eye. “We’re all still waiting for you to admit your crush on—”

John stood up abruptly. “I’m going,” he said shortly. “I have a lot of studying to do. Thanks for the coffee.” He walked out the door without looking back, and Alex winced, knowing John was sensitive about talking about his personal life and also knowing that they did not, in fact, have any upcoming tests. He looked at Lafayette, and was surprised that his grin was still intact.

Alex arched an eyebrow, trying to act as though he was unaffected by the news he heard. Judging on his friend’s expression, he missed the mark by a mile. “John has a crush on someone?”

“Yes,” Lafayette said, watching his expression carefully. “ _Mon petit tortue_ just doesn’t want to admit it.”

“Anyways,” Lafayette continued. “Shouldn’t you go follow him out?”

“Right!” Alex said, downing his coffee in one and hurried out the door. Once he was gone, Hercules looked at Lafayette cryptically. “You really want to win our bet, don’t you?” “

Fifty dollars,” Lafayette replied. “I’d better win it.”

 

John stood out in the grey streets of New York, so it was easy for Alex to catch up with him and begin to walk besides him. John stared down at the ground, not wanting to talk. Alex looked carefully at him, wanting to choose the right words. “What happened back there?”

“Nothing,” John said in an all-too-casual voice, eyes still looking down. “Laf’s just being Laf.”

“You have a crush and didn’t tell me?” Alex said. After hesitating for a moment, he slung an arm around John. “So who is it?” 

John, to his relief, glanced up and laughed. “No one.” 

“Ah, you can tell me!” Alex said, grinning, pushing down unwanted feelings that were bubbling up and threatening to spill over. “I’m your best friend, after all.”

John flinched slightly at the word, before relaxing and throwing on a smile. “Fine. Try and guess who it is.”

“Fair enough,” Alex said with a smile. “Give me a hint.”

“Um,” John said, thinking for a moment. “He’s always hardworking.”

Alex frowned slightly. “That’s too vague,” he complained as they entered the campus of Columbia. “It could be anyone here.”

“Not Jay,” John replied. “He was ‘sick’ after writing five essays.”

“That’s true,” Alex agreed. “And after I wrote fifty-one as well!” He paused, remembering what their previous topic was. “Another hint?”

“Let’s see…” John said, as they began to walk around the campus. “He’s incredibly smart. Like, so fucking smart it’s not even funny.”

Alex tilted his head, going through the list of students at Columbia. He followed John as he took a seat on a bench, shivering slightly in the cold wind. “There’s a lot of smart kids on this campus.”

“Super smart,” John reminded him, seeing how Alex was shivering and leaning into him. “Not like normal smart.”

“There’s such thing as being normal smart?” Alex scoffed, but smiled all the same. “How about I just rattle off some names?”

“Go for it.”

Alex thought for a moment. “Burr.”

John shook his head. “No.”

“Madison?”

“Nope.” John said, giving him one of those blinding smiles (they should really be illegal). “Really smart. Hardworking,” he repeated.

Alex racked his brain, giving a mental rundown on all the students he knew. “Oh my god,” he said, the blood draining from his face. He sat up straight to look John clearly in the eye. “You’re in love with Jefferson, aren’t you?”

John burst out laughing at that. “No! God, Alex! _Thomas Jefferson_? Really?”

“He’s the only one I could think of!” Alex defended himself, feeling relieved all the same, and settled back into John’s side. “Another hint.”

“He writes all the time and never takes a break.” John said, searching Alex’s face for any sign of recognition. When Alex stared back at him blankly, he continued. “He’s annoyingly good-looking, although he is shorter than me.”

Alex tapped his chin. “Not many people are shorter than you. You’re pretty small.”

John elbowed him. “Hey, you’re even smaller!”

“Anyway, he’s my best friend,” John continued, a small smile spreading across his face. “He’s helped me through some pretty hard times. He’s the most selfless and compassionate person I know when he’s not passed out from exhaustion.” John looked at Alex, searching his expression.

Alex forced a laugh, trying to hide how crushed he was. The lightheartedness he had felt before now turned to dread as what John had just said caught up to him. He felt slightly sick as he asked, “Who is it?” He was now dying to know. “I can’t think of anyone.”

“Well, I think it’s pretty easy to see who it is,” John said, with a soft smile and Alex couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealously.

“One more hint?” he begged, knowing that his carefree facade was cracking.

John fell silent before he turned to Alex. He hesitated for a moment, as if regretting what he was about to say next. “He thinks recaffeinating is a word.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open as his mind raced to the events of earlier, and all he could manage to say was, “But _I_ think recaffeinating is a word.”

John nodded slowly, watching as Alex began to fit the pieces together.

“It’s me? You’re in love with me?”

John nodded again, this time looking nervously at Alex. “It’s you. It’s always been you.”

Alex was well aware that he was just gaping at John and made an effort to speak again, “For all this time...you’ve had a crush on me.” He said it as more of a statement than a question.

John nodded for a third time, unsure what to say. Finally he whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Alex asked, regaining his sense to talk. “I’m sorry that I’ve waited this long.” His hand moved up to cup John’s face and pulled him in, placing his lips softly against John’s, before pulling back, forehead resting on his. It was quick and over all too soon as Alex pulled back once more to lace their hands together, John’s hand warm and Alex’s ice cold. “We’ve been so oblivious all along,” he said. “Lafayette knew even before us.”

John laughed out loud at that, an infectious laugh that had Alex laughing as well. “Thank God for that,” he breathed, wrapping his arm around Alex and pulling him closer. “I didn’t think I could take it much longer.”

Alex grinned up at John. “You think I’m good-looking,” he teased. “And smart. And compassionate. And—”

“Did I mention annoying?” John cut him off, smiling as well. “And self-absorbed?”

“You _loooove_ me,” Alex said, moving even closer to John.

“Fine,” John said, in mock defeat. “I’m in love with you.”

“Well,” Alex said, pressing a kiss to John’s cheek. “For the record, I’m in love with you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> how do you even write romance


End file.
